If you are a regular reader here, you will know that I am working with Champions For Kids to make kids lives better in my area. At Christmas time, I worked with them to create a stocking full of Disney products. Now, I am working with them and Abbott Nutrition to help those who don’t have enough foods.

The charity I choose to donate a Snack Pack to was the Catholic Charities here in Chicago.  The food pantries in the southwest suburbs of Chicago serve approximately 2,800 people a month (and this is 2010 – 2011 statistic. I can guarantee that it is much worse now.) The supper programs that Catholic Charities serve gave away more than 9,000 hot meals in the southwest suburbs. The Catholic Charities summer lunch program provided 282,000 meals to children that summer.  Since the economy tanked, the need for this food pantry didn’t double – it tripled!  It just makes me ill that there are people in my own community that are food poor.

Here is my shop for this campaign and what we were able to buy and donate to Catholic Charities:

As you can see, we were able to put together a pretty good assortment of snacks to donate. Catholic Charities was also very grateful for our donation (Unfortunately, I was not allowed to take any pictures of them. They just allowed me take a picture of their food pantry). I just wish I could have done more. What are you doing for your community?

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias

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A new rug for his room!

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Ever have one of those weeks? I started off the week getting sick. It hurt to breath but otherwise I felt fine (besides being a little worn out). Well, that is over. Now, I’m fully sick. Sore throat and a runny nose. Joy. At least I don’t feel as if a bunch of construction equipment has parked on my chest.

We also had some gutter covering company come out last night. Holy cow is that stuff expensive. Our quote was over $1800! I told Bill for $1800 he could keep climbing up on the ladder. We don’t have trees with leaves. However, we do have pine trees, so our issue is pine needles. There aren’t a whole lot of products on the market that keep those out of your gutters and do it well.

I’m also trying to get a ton of reviews up on Lisa Reviews before Christmas. I would much rather climb under a blanket (and I still just might). Lots of great giveaways coming over there too! (Hint: DS games for girls!).

I also have a ton of presents I need to get wrapped still for my kids, we still have to decorate the house, and we don’t have our tree up either! I’m seeing a super busy weekend in my future!

What are your weekend plans? Have you managed not to get sick yet?

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If you are a regular reader, you will know that I am currently working on a campaign with Disney and Champions For Kids. I wrote a post about how we give back to our local community. We donate gift cards to St. Columbanus Parish through our church, we take part in a teddy bear drive for domestic violence shelters, and donate what is needed for the homeless. Madison’s school has also started a toy drive. However, the toy drive we participate the most in is through Bill’s work. This is 9th Annual Toy Drive there. Last year, they were able to collected $879.00 in cash along with toys that people brought in. In all, they were able to purchase and donate over 600 pieces of toys, clothing, and coats! They also were able to purchased 16 small family sized dinner preparation sacks, where they put spaghetti, sauce, corn, juice, and several other non-perishable foods to a handful of families who were in need of food. Bill’s company has less than 50 people who work for it, so this is awesome. The part that I love the most is that it was 2 men who came up with this. We’ve donated every single year, and it’s such a great cause. I can’t imagine a Christmas without enough food or presents under the table which is why it is important for family to donate.

With the help of Disney and Champions for Kids, my family and I were able to create a stocking for a child. Here is what our shopping trip looked like:

As you can see, Madison and I had a good time. As I stated in my pictures above, our original goal was to put together a “girl” stocking. However, we couldn’t find enough smaller things that would fit in a stocking in the price range I wanted. However, they had plenty of “boy” toy things that would perfectly fit in a stocking. Also, we have seen Cars 2 and loved it, so Madison and I had a good time picking things out. What I didn’t expect was that when we put the stocking together, it was going to be like playing Tetris. I definitely had to have a plan to get everything in! My son was super excited at our purchases, so I know that the child who gets this will love the stocking! It was hard to not put the entire store in my cart.

I love that I get to teach my kids about being kind and helping others. Thank you Champions for Kids and Disney for this opportunity!

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias.

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With the holidays upon us, this is a time of year that can be joyous for some and heartbreaking for others. Last year, my cousin’s wife died right after Christmas, so I know this year will be a tough one for him. Some people just don’t like the holiday. Others, well they have to work. With all different people like this in your life, it can be tough keeping everyone’s spirits bright during the holidays.

First, remembering others circumstances at this time of year is very important. Like I said above, remember everyone’s circumstances. You may be celebrating. Others, well, they may be grieving. Do what is comfortable for everyone and that will keep everyone’s spirits bright because they won’t feel uncomfortable. Finding toys like KRE-O Transformers sets can be a conversation starter for adults and kids alike. The third Transformers movie, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, was a smash this past summer and the KRE-O collection is inspired by the Generation 1 Transformers. Kids and adults have something alike that they can talk about (or argue about if they want to get into which generation is the best).

Next, get toys without batteries. There is nothing worse than being at a Christmas gathering when all you hear is a bunch of toys screaming at you. Instead, KRE-O Transformers sets are a great gift for the holidays. They allow your kids to use their imagination to assemble and dissemble them. Plus, it allows them to role play with them which also requires creativity on your kids part. I love watching my kids when they are making up the story as they go. The stories they come up with are sometimes better than anything else out there. Plus, it allows for the adults to keep their sanity.

Another way to keeping everyone’s spirits bright during the holidays is donate your time and your money and maybe even some toys. Not everyone is as fortunate as we are, and this is the perfect time of year to remember that. There are twelve KRE-O Transformers sets available, from Basic sets for beginner builders to deluxe sets for the pros. The sets range in price from $7.99-$59.99 and each set allows kids to construct one of two models: a Transformers character in robot or vehicle mode offering two different builds in one! Most also come with a unique, collectible KREON figure that add another level of play to the sets. This is a great gift to donate to your local Toys for Tots. This keeps your spirits and the lucky kid who is getting it spirits up too!

How do you keep everyone’s spirits bright during the holidays? Do you donate your time, your talent, or your treasure to those you love and care for?

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Hasbro blogging program, for 8,000 My SocialMoms Rewards Points and a KRE-O gift. The opinions expressed in this post are mine and don’t necessarily reflect the opinions of SocialMoms or Hasbro. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

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